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6th Avenue Heartache

1996 single by the Wallflowers

Field	Value
name	6th Avenue Heartache
cover	6th Avenue Heartache.jpg
type	single
artist	the Wallflowers
album	Bringing Down the Horse
released
* alternative rock<ref>{{Cite web	url	https://www.spin.com/2016/08/96-best-alternative-rock-songs-1996/	title=The 96 Best Alternative Rock Songs Of 1996	date=August 31, 2016	website=SPIN	access-date=February 23, 2022	url-status=live	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520051218/https://www.spin.com/2016/08/96-best-alternative-rock-songs-1996/3/	archive-date=May 20, 2017}}
length	5:37
label	Interscope
writer	Jakob Dylan
producer	T-Bone Burnett
next_title	One Headlight
next_year	1997
misc

| B-side =

"Used to Be Lucky"
"Angel on My Bike"
Roots rock
alternative rock

"6th Avenue Heartache" is a song by the American rock band the Wallflowers. The background vocals in this song were performed by Adam Duritz from Counting Crows. It was released in April 1996 as the lead single from their second album, Bringing Down the Horse. The song became their first hit, peaking at No. 8 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, and No. 2 on the Billboard Triple-A chart—it was the most-played song on triple-A radio in 1996. "6th Avenue Heartache" was nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards.

Background and writing

Jakob Dylan, the band's lead singer, wrote the song when he was 18 years old and considers it the first real song he had written. It was intended to appear on the band's self-titled first album, but their label at the time, Virgin Records, would not allow it. The lyrics are based on Dylan's own experiences while living in New York City, in particular the story of a homeless man who would sit outside Dylan's window and play the same songs every day. One day, the man was gone, but his things were still there, until gradually people started taking them. Mike Campbell from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers played the slide guitar on the song, though he recorded the track in his own studio and never even met the band members.

Music video

The video, shot in New York, was directed by movie director David Fincher, known for such films as Se7en and Fight Club. There is a slight error in the video: Rama's Cafe, portrayed as a meeting place for the band, was actually on 281 5th Avenue, not 6th Avenue. The building was eventually demolished, and an apartment building has since taken its place.

Track listing

"6th Avenue Heartache" (edit) – 4:22
"Used to Be Lucky" – 6:35
"Angel on My Bike" – 4:22
"6th Avenue Heartache" – 5:37

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1996–1997)	Peak
position	Australia (ARIA)
162

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)	Position	US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)	US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)	US Triple-A (Billboard)
30
45
1

In popular culture

It was featured during the Friends season 4 episode "The One with the Fake Party".

It was featured in the Cold Case season 2 episode "Revenge".

The Wallflowers performed "6th Avenue Heartache" on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1996.

In 2012, the Wallflowers reunited to perform the song as part of Letterman's online concert series Live on Letterman.

References

Reece, Douglas. (August 31, 1996). "Wallflowers Are Getting Attention on Interscope".
(August 31, 2016). "The 96 Best Alternative Rock Songs Of 1996".
"39th Annual GRAMMY Awards {{!}} GRAMMY.com". [[Grammy Awards]].
Fedak, Nikolai. (June 1, 2015). "Revealed: 281 Fifth Avenue, 52-Story NoMad Condo Tower Designed By Viñoly".
"The Wallflowers ARIA Chart history 1988 to 2024". ARIA.
(December 28, 1996). "The Year in Music: Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks".
(December 27, 1996). "Airplay Monitor Best of '96".
""Friends" The One with the Fake Party (TV Episode 1998) soundtrack".
""Cold Case" Revenge (TV Episode 2005) soundtrack".
Vintagetubelug. (August 1, 2011). "The Wallflowers live 1996 "6th Avenue Heartache"".
TheWallflowersVEVO. (November 14, 2012). "The Wallflowers - 6th Avenue Heartache (Live on Letterman)".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1996-debut-singles 1996-songs interscope-records-singles music-videos-directed-by-david-fincher sixth-avenue song-recordings-produced-by-t-bone-burnett songs-about-heartache songs-about-nostalgia songs-written-by-jakob-dylan the-wallflowers-songs

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